ES Facilities Newsletter

March 2016

ES Facilities Newsletter

March 2016

From the Director's Desk...

ES Facilities Employees,

We are rapidly approaching the end of the first quarter already and there is a lot going on.

Our year-to-date safety performance is strong at the sector level with only six recordable injuries, unfortunately four of those recordable injuries involved Facilities employees. Three of those injuries were slips, trips and falls, so please remember to be careful and pay close attention to your surroundings at all times. Our goal is to have zero injuries and don’t want our employees getting hurt.

After a number of years of reducing our budgets, we have increased our 2016 expense budget and I/L staffing to support the Ramp to Rate (R2R) efforts in Southern New Hampshire. Between R2R, increased manufacturing space footprint increases and new leases our overall US Defense occupancy budget is increasing by $6.5M or just about 9% over our spend in 2015.

We need to maintain a strong focus on continuous improvement, cost control and improved efficiencies if we are to remain competitive and continue growing the ES sector.

Thanks for all you do…. Don

Welcome!!

We would like to extend a warm welcome to the GEO-INT employees joining ES Facilities!!

We hope you like the new look and feel, and navigation should be easier!!

Compressed Air Can be A Killer

Many people use compressed air without even thinking about it, both at work and at home. It is employed for a number of tasks including inflating tires, operating air power tools and paint guns. For the most part; however, the lethal aspects of compressed air are not understood.

Forty pounds of air pressure released from the nozzle of an air gun passing four inches from the ear can cause rupture of the ear drum and/or cerebral hemorrhage resulting in death. The same pressure passing this distance from the eyes or mouth can cause blindness or rupture of the lungs, stomach or intestines. It has been estimated that only four pounds of direct air pressure will rupture the bowel.

Not only are the body openings vulnerable. If workers use compressed air for cleaning dust off their clothing, the slightest scratch or puncture in the skin will permit air to enter. The affected part immediately swells to huge proportions and becomes extremely painful. Once air gets into the blood stream it can make its way to the small blood vessels in the brain and cause death.

Compressed air can cause injuries in other ways too. If it is used to blow shavings, dust, filings, or chops from machines it can blow them into the eyes of workmen nearby or even back into the operator's eyes. It can imbed particles within the skin, potentially causing infection. It has been estimated metal chips with forty pounds of air pressure behind them travel at a speed in excess of 70 miles per hour. Always wear eye protection when using compressed air.

Remember:

- Horseplay with compressed air is dangerous and can be fatal

- Never use compressed air to clean clothing or to blow dust from your body

- Never point an air hose at anyone and always make sure nearby workers are out of the airflow

- Check all connections before using and keep the hose out of aisle ways unless measures have been taken to prevent a tripping hazard

- Make sure you turn off the air before changing tools. It is also important to ensure lines are depressurized, and then check to make sure all connections are tight before turning the air pressure back on.